REVIEW: EVIL DEAD BURN
THE GIST
Should have just been a run of the mill family possessed by demons film.
Why drag the Evil Dead franchise into it?
THE REVIEW
***SPOILERY***
EXPECTATIONS
I am not a fan of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead Trilogy. The film that won me over and is still my favourite today is Fede Alvarez’s Evil Dead from 2013. I thought Evil Dead Rise was ok so I was not expecting too much from Evil Dead Burn. I still want to see where they take it though.
RATINGS SO FAR
Ratings wise, Evil Dead Burn is currently 4th equal with Evil Dead Rise. Funnily enough, Evil Dead, my absolute favourite is the lowest rated of the franchise.
CONTEXT
In February 2024, it was announced that a spin-off film of Evil Dead Rise was in development. Sébastien Vaniček signed on to direct from a screenplay he co-wrote with Florent Bernard. Series creator Sam Raimi hired Vaniček after being impressed by the latter's directorial debut Infested (2023). Raimi and Rob Tapert served as producers through their Ghost House Pictures banner, as well as Bruce Campbell and Lee Cronin serving as executive producers. In May 2025, Souheila Yacoub was announced as the lead, with the film being co-financed by New Line Cinema (distributor of the first film and producer of Rise) and Sony Pictures (who previously produced the 2013 film through its TriStar Pictures banner and are the current distributor of the original 1981 film). Later that month, Hunter Doohan, Luciane Buchanan, and Tandi Wright were added to the cast.
THE PLOT
After the loss of her husband, a woman seeks solace with her in-laws. As one by one they transform into deadites, she comes to discover that the vows she took in life - survive even in death.
THE EXPERIENCE
This was less an Evil Dead film so much as it was a gory mean spirited horror porn film.
It was gory and nasty which seemed like nothing more than being just for the sake of being gory and nasty.
I feel like the Evil Dead franchise is going the way the Saw franchise did. The stories get worse and become only background to competing for making the gory bits more gruesome than the last film.
I lost interest so many times and was glad when it finally ended.
THE MEAT
Director/Sabastien Vanicek: Vanicek has stated his intention with the film was to, "create a visceral, sensory experience that punches the audience in the gut. I want people to feel physically drained when they leave the theater, like they've been through an emotional and intense journey”. Well I certainly felt physically drained but not because an emotional and intense journey, it was from withdrawal and a drawn out run time. He is a great filmmaker but he should stick to original material.
Performances: There were no stand out performances, they were all fine actors but just not enough meat in the story to give them a chance to shine.
Effects: The gory effects were amazing, hats off to that team. It was the story that let the effects down. If the story leading to the gory events was more meaningful it would have paid off more.
Music: It was very loud at times, I think in a bid to raise the emotions of the situation. It didn’t work. This was normal horror movie music. It didn’t sound Evil Deadish at all, if there is even a thing.
Sound Effects: In Evil Dead (2013), there was this I’d say horn type thing that blares out when the deadeyes are about and it was deeply unsettling which added to the atmosphere of the film. There was no atmosphere to Evil Dead Burn.
The Ending: This is one of those films that continuously never ends. You think it is about to end because it is a logical place to end it, but no, on it goes. This happens again and again and again. By the time the actual end happens I was like “Thank f&#$ for that”.
Why?: This could have been a really great “family possessed by demons” type horror film that had an overarching theme of overcoming domestic violence. But for some reason it is an Evil Dead film, and it just doesn’t work.
Trilogy?: For me, they should have started a trilogy with Fede Alvarez film and had some overarching story through them. I would have loved Jane Levy’s character to be involved in some way and maybe even Ash in the third film. Instead we got three loosely connected films that all try and do the same thing but progressively get worse each time.
SUMMARY
I can see why Bruce Campbell has distanced himself from the franchise.
This is not his Evil Dead anymore.
This is not my Evil Dead anymore.
I’ll still go see Evil Dead Wrath next year though lol.
